Ricardo Montaner

Did You Know?

• In 1995, Montaner teamed up with Yolandita Monge to set a Guinness World Record by performing three concerts in different cities on the same day in Puerto Rico, traveling by helicopter between stages.
• Montaner broke his own record in 2003 by selling out 18 concerts at the theater of Bellas Artes in Puerto Rico, surpassing his previous record of 12.
• His album "Viajero Frecuente" features a duet with his daughter Evaluna Montaner, "La Gloria de Dios", whose video has more than 433 million views on YouTube/Vevo.
• Montaner received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in October 2016.

Biography

Montaner was born Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner in Valentín Alsina, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. His family moved to Venezuela when he was 6 years old. During his youth, he performed in the church choir in Maracaibo. His first international festival performance was in Peru with the song "Canta, viejo, canta".

He later adopted the stage name Ricardo Montaner, using his maternal family name. In 1976 he recorded his first single, "Mares", produced by Venezuelan Italian singer Roberto Luti. That same year he participated in the Ancon Festival in Peru, gaining some popularity after performing his song "Murallas". His debut album, Cada Día, was released in 1983; while not a great success in Venezuela, it was a start for his career there.

Widespread popularity in Venezuela came in 1987 with the singles "Yo Que Te Amé" and "Vamos a Dejarlo" from his self-titled album. The following year he released Ricardo Montaner 2, featuring hit songs like "Tan Enamorados" and "A Donde Va el Amor". He also acted in the telenovela Niña Bonita, which helped make his songs known across Latin America; he won 4 platinum albums in Argentina alone. His next two albums, Un Toque de Misterio and En el Último Lugar del Mundo, became big hits on Mexican charts, and across Central and South America with songs like "La Cima del Cielo", "Me Va a Extrañar", "Déjame Llorar" and "Será".

In 1992 he released Los Hijos del Sol, aimed at the Spanish Caribbean, containing songs like "Castillo Azul", "Honda" and "Piel Adentro". That year he also recorded a duet with Michelle for the Latin American version of the Aladdin song "A Whole New World", titled "Un Mundo Ideal". He performed a live concert at Madison Square Garden attended by more than 16,000 people. He released the single "La pequeña Venecia", expressing his love for Venezuela, which he refers to as his country.

Montaner was nominated for three Lo Nuestro Awards in 1993: Pop Artist of the Year, and Pop Song and Video of the Year for the single "Castillo Azul".

Personal life

Montaner is married to Marlene Rodríguez Miranda, whose father was a shareholder and owner of the former Venezuelan record company Sonorodven, where Montaner started his career. Together they have three children: Ricardo, Mauricio, and Evaluna. From a previous marriage with Ana Vaz, he has two older sons: Alejandro and Héctor Jr. All five children are singers: Evaluna, Héctor, and Alejandro perform independently, while Mauricio and Ricardo formed a duo known as Mau y Ricky.

In 1994, after Montaner fell out with his record label Sonorodven, he signed with Sonográfica, which caused a legal dispute between the two companies that has gone on since about 2006. Montaner holds citizenship in four countries: Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. He is an Argentine citizen from birth and later became a naturalized Venezuelan citizen, having moved there with his family at age 6. In 2012, Montaner was awarded Colombian citizenship by then-president Juan Manuel Santos, having been a judge for the TV programme La Voz Colombia.

Montaner has said that he does not identify as Argentine. Originally from a Catholic background, Montaner was an Evangelical Christian as of 2012.